Maria Bueno
Bueno in 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Maria Esther Andion Bueno | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) | Brazil | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 October 1939 São Paulo, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | 8 June 2018 (aged 78) São Paulo, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1950 | |||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1977 | |||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1978 (member page) | |||||||||||||||||
| Official website | www.mariabueno.org | |||||||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 652–168 (80%) | |||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1959) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (1965) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | F (1964) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1959, 1960, 1964) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1959, 1963, 1964, 1966) | |||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (1960) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1960) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1958, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1960, 1962, 1966, 1968) | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | SF (1960) | |||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1960) | |||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1959, 1960, 1967) | |||||||||||||||||
| US Open | F (1958, 1960) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Maria Esther Andion Bueno (11 October 1939 – 8 June 2018), also known as Maria Bueno or MEB for short, was a Brazilian professional tennis player. During her 11-year career in the 1950s and 1960s, she won 19 major titles (seven in women's singles, 11 in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles), making her the most successful South American tennis player in history, and the only one to ever win Wimbledon in singles. Bueno was the year-end No. 1 female player in 1959 and 1960 and was known for her graceful style of play, that earned her the nickname "tennis ballerina", or "bailarina do tênis" in Portuguese”.
In 1960, Bueno became the first woman to win the Grand Slam in doubles (all four majors in a year), three of them partnering Darlene Hard and one with Christine Truman.
For 65 years, Bueno remained as the first and only Brazilian woman to have won a Grand Slam title, until Luisa Stefani won the mixed doubles title alongside fellow Brazilian Rafael Matos at the Australian Open in 2023.